3 DIRECTV-for-RV Solutions

Signal Connect has brought DIRECTV to many RVs, campers, and motorhomes. Before some of these RV owners ride off into the sunset with their DIRECTV, they need our help. In most cases, it’s a common connection issue that takes less than 20 minutes to fix. When this happens, the RV owners know to call their Signal Connect rep. This service after the sale is a key feature of the concierge customer support we offer our clients. Here are just three stories of how our reps helped RV owners.

The Right DIRECTV Connection in RVs

Like we said, Signal Connect has helped so many RV owners get DIRECTV in their vehicles. Whenever we do, we encourage customers to work with a DIRECTV installer from our network. Most people follow this advice because they understand the importance of having a professional handle this important job. Others prefer to install it themselves, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but sometimes mistakes can happen. Here’s one example of this with an RV owner named Gerald S. from Iowa.

Gerald wanted to save time and money by installing DIRECTV in his RV. Overall, he did a solid job but he did make one small but crucial mistake, according to Jason Vanover, Signal Connect tech. “Since Gerald was my customer, he called my direct line and told me he couldn’t get any satellite signal on the receiver,” Jason recalled. “He ran through each step of his installation and I stopped him after he said he connected the cable coming off the dish into the satellite input outside his RV.”

Jason know that the SAT input should only be used when RV owners want to connect to the satellite TV service offered by some RV parks. RV owners with their own DIRECTV system need to directly connect the dish to their receiver. Jason added, “I stayed on the phone with Gerald while he reconnected his dish cable and I didn’t end the call until he said, ‘Now I have signal!’”

Syncing a New DIRECTV Remote Control

Would you believe that a minor DIRECTV remote control problem can keep people from enjoying their DIRECTV? It’s something our tech team has handled. Most recently, it was a customer named Steve M. from Florida. “He misplaced his DIRECTV remote control and got a new one from us,” Jason explained. “We shipped it right out to him and I didn’t think I’d ever hear from him again.” Jason was surprised when Steve called him and said, “That remote you sold me doesn’t work!”

Jason knew Steve’s remote control was fine because he’s dealt with this situation before. “I had a hunch that his old remote was in RF mode and so was his receiver. These replacement remote controls are shipped in IR mode, which means they won’t sync up with a receiver that’s in RF.” The solution is a simple fix for Jason; it’s a matter of syncing up the new remote with the existing receiver. He talked Steve through the fix following these steps:

Turning the receiver from RF to IR

Syncing the remote to your DIRECTV receiver

Switching the receiver back to RF

Changing the remote from IR to RF

Jason stayed on the phone with Steve until the customer had that “ah ha moment.” That was the moment when Steve could once again control his DIRECTV with his new remote control, which obviously worked. This isn’t even a DIRECTV problem as it is someone not knowing that the remote and receiver aren’t speaking the same language yet. Because it’s so common, the Signal Connect team created this tutorial for setting up a DIRECTV receiver to work in RF mode.

Resetting Automatic Satellite Dishes

A self-aiming satellite dish is a great thing to have. The dish automatically finds the satellite signal in the sky. You don’t have to bother with satellite meters, tripods, and aiming. While these are awesome devices for RV owners, you can run into a small problem if you don’t know how to reset the dish. This can lead to loss of signal, and it usually happens like this:

The RV owner drives to their first location.

The self-aiming dish scans the sky until it locks into position.

The owner enjoys DIRECTV for the night.

After driving to their next destination, the owner has no DIRECTV.

Ryan McDonnell, a Signal Connect rep, had a customer who ran into this problem. His name was Bob H. and he called Ryan from an RV campground in Arkansas. “He was in a bit of a panic because he said he had signal the day before at another campground,” Ryan explained. “He drove to another campground and couldn’t get any signal.” When Bob said that, Ryan knew exactly what the problem was and how to fix it.

Once a self-aiming dish grabs the satellite signal, it stays locked in that position. This only becomes a problem if you move your RV. “Your dish is still aimed in the direction that it connected with at the first location,” Ryan explained. “To fix this, turn the power to your dish off, wait about 15 seconds, then turn it on again.” This simple trick resets the auto satellite dish’s self-aiming mechanism so it can go back to searching the sky until it finds the DIRECTV signal.

The Best Part About All This…

…Is that Signal Connect is happy to help our customers at no extra charge. That’s right, this customer service is absolutely free from us to you. We call this concierge service and it is what Signal Connect is built upon. (For the record, we’re well known for our DIRECTV sales, equipment, and account activation too.) The white glove service we provide our customers is testament to the vast amount of DIRECTV knowledge that the Signal Connect team has. When you call us to resolve a DIRECTV connection issue, your rep helps you by following these steps:

Ask you questions about what’s going on

Diagnose the problem

Talk you through the fix

Stay on the phone until your reception comes back

Do you have DIRECTV in your RV, home, or business? You can benefit from our white glove service, too. If you need help with a connection issue, for example, call our team at 866-726-4182. We recommend you save that number in your phone’s contacts because you never know when you might need to call us. And just so you know, we provide our DIRECTV customer service for free. We’re here to help you, so take advantage of this very valuable service.

Chances are good that you’re an RV owner who’s thinking about adding DIRECTV to your vehicle. If so, you’re in the right place. A Signal Connect rep is the best person to talk to if you want this. Signal Connect is a DIRECTV Authorized Dealer. Our team will answer your questions so you can make an informed decision on the entertainment system in your RV. To talk to one of our experts, dial 866-726-4182. You can also fill out the form below and send it to us. One of our reps will contact you in one business day or less.